PDA Governance Structure

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is the managing body of the Pennsylvania Dental
Association, vested with full power to conduct all business of the association,
subject to PDA’s Constitution and Bylaws. The board establishes rules, regulations and policies to manage the
association.

Some of the board’s duties include the following:

To prepare a budget for carrying on the activities of PDA for each ensuing
fiscal year.

To review the annual written reports of all committees, advisory groups and
special committees of the association.

To provide for the maintenance and supervision of the PDA Central Office.

To perform duties as described by the Bylaws.

The board consists of one trustee from each of the ten trustee districts;
this constitutes the voting membership of the board. Each trustee is elected at
the annual session of his or her district. In addition, the president, president‑elect and treasurer are elective officers without the right to
vote. They are elected by the PDA membership during Pennsylvania's Dental Meeting.

Council of Presidents

The Council of Presidents (COP) is composed of the presidents of each of the 10 districts. The PDA President-Elect serves as chair of the COP and as its liaison to the Board. The COP includes the presidents of local dental societies as non-voting members. The COP communicates regularly to keep apprised of PDA board actions during the year, to discuss issues of importance to their respective societies, and to communicate information from members and component dental societies in both a lateral and vertical direction throughout PDA.

The COP has authority to recommend modifications to the Bylaws, which can be amended by a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote of both the COP and the PDA board.

Some of the COP’s duties include the following:

To serve as the Disciplinary Appeals Review board.

To review, vet and refine the issues submitted for Board of Trustees action or for Pennsylvania’s Dental Meeting issues agenda.

To perform duties as described by the Bylaws.

Committees

Pennsylvania Dental Association committees work on specific issues of
importance to the association. Each body has its own set of duties and
responsibilities based on the following:

The duties set forth in the Bylaws.

The directives of the Board of Trustees.

The initiatives of the committee.

Committees are responsible for reporting on their progress and the completion
of assignments to the Board of Trustees. Initiatives that
originate from the committee must have the approval of the Board of
Trustees before implementation.

Advisory Groups

Pennsylvania Dental Association advisory groups consist of an unlimited
number of appointees who meet on PDA’s social network to work on specific issues
of importance to the association. Each group has its own set of duties and
responsibilities based on the following:

The duties set forth in the Bylaws.

The directives of the Board of Trustees.

The initiatives of the advisory group.

Advisory groups are responsible for reporting on their progress and the
completion of assignments to the Board of Trustees.
Initiatives that originate from the advisory group must have the approval of the
Board of Trustees before implementation.

Task Forces

A task force is formed at the discretion of the PDA president and the Board
of Trustees. The purpose of a task force is to help PDA proactively address
specific and immediate issues that are not being handled by another PDA
committee or advisory group. A few of the issues that have been addressed by task
forces include PDA strategic planning and governance; the certification of
expanded function dental assistants; reform to the Medical Assistance program;
environmental issues; and community water fluoridation.